Friedrich Katz Prize
The American Historical Association offers the Friedrich Katz Prize in Latin American and Caribbean History, which honors Friedrich Katz, an Austrian-born specialist in Latin American history, whose nearly 50-year career inspired dozens of students and colleagues in the field.
The prize will be awarded annually to the best book published in English focusing on Latin America, including the Caribbean. The current prize amount is $1,000. See the list of past recipients.
The general rules for submission are:
- Books bearing a copyright of 2023 are eligible for the 2024 prize.
- Nomination submissions may be made by an author or by a publisher. Publishers may submit as many entries as they wish. Authors or publishers may submit the same book for multiple AHA prizes.
- Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted.
- One copy of each entry must be sent to each committee member and clearly labeled “Katz Prize Entry.” Print copies preferred unless otherwise indicated. If only e-copy is available, please contact review committee members beforehand to arrange submission format.
Please Note: Entries must be received by May 15, 2024, to be eligible for the 2024 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2024 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2025 AHA annual meeting in New York.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
2023 Katz Prize
Brian P. Owensby, University of Virginia
New World of Gain: Europeans, Guaraní, and the Global Origins of Modern Economy (Stanford Univ. Press)
New World of Gain retells the history of colonial encounter between Europeans and Guaraní as a dialectic of gain and mutuality. Brian P. Owensby uncovers how contrasting notions of the moral significance of economic exchanges shaped local negotiations about labor and goods and prompted important changes in imperial institutions and in global philosophical debates. This ambitious, deeply researched, precisely written, and innovative book promises to deeply impact the historiography of multiple regions and periods.